A Study of Instagram’s Influence in Today’s Digital Era : The Influencer Phenomenon

As a consequence of the technological developments that society has faced in recent years, the way of communication has changed drastically between brands and consumers. Social media platforms have gained popularity and have established themselves as an essential tool to spread their products or services to the population. For this reason, this bachelor thesis reviews the emergence of social networks as an advertising channel. Additionally, this paper focuses on the social media Instagram, the most popular mobile application over the last few years. On Instagram the figure of the influencer has the most presence. An influencer is a person who can change people’s actions, for the most part through social networks, transmitting their lifestyle, daily looks, tastes, and much more. In this work, the content of two popular influencers, Grace Villareal, and Miisa Rotola-Pukkila, is looked into. Also, an analysis of their relationship with different brands. Furthermore, to have a better understanding of the real impact that Instagram and the figure of the influencer have on society, a survey is carried out. Through the research done, it was found out that the figure of an influencer influences the purchase decision of the consumer, in this case of the follower. In other words, there is a direct impact on the buyer’s decision-making as a result of the influencer. Furthermore, it was settled that altogether the relationship of a brand and an influencer has a repercussion on the end consumers. Finally, Instagram is generally viewed as a valuable social media network for advertisements